Valkyrie
by ShadowWolf203027
Summary: At first, I believe, it was honor. A dept that she felt obligated to repay: to help me on this vendetta against her brothers and sisters. But now, I'm not so sure.


_In 2006, below the eastern plains of Antarctica, planetary scientists discovered evidence of a meteor impact much larger and earlier than the one that killed the dinosaurs - an impact that they believe brought about the biggest mass extinction in Earth's history. At nearly three hundred miles wide, it is the largest known impact site on Earth, as well as one of the oldest. Scientists theorize that it dates back to the Precambrian era. _

_Ground Penetrating Radar(GPR) and GRACE instruments provide evidence that there is a hollow space at the center of this crater, four-thousand nine-hundred-three feet below the ice, the cavern is a little over three miles wide. Currently there is no explanation as to why it is there._

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"The day of Reckoning," they called it. Though for the religious it was, "The End of Times," or "The Return of the Messiah." I, personally, enjoyed the latter: Who knew the Messiah would be such an ugly creature?

For me it was simply The Fall.

Our "_Casting from the Garden,_" as my mother had once put it. I was still young then, innocent. I had believed the bullshit The Church had stuffed down my throat. God will save you, God is merciful, God loves you. I remember asking my mom as we ran through a New York sewer,"Why is God letting this happen?" Gunfire and screams erupted from above us, and she pulled harder on my arm, we ran faster, "Because we deserve it." I couldn't grasp that. Why would someone who supposedly loves you let you die when they could stop it? Actually, why would that merciful, caring entity let the whole of your race be extinguished in such a brutal way? I didn't understand the logic, and I still don't. If there is a god somewhere in the sky, if he's still watching, he's laughing at our plight. We're just a disposable toy for a childish, wasteful creature. There is no other explanation.

I had been nine when it started. Twelve years have passed, five of which I've been on the move. Currently I am somewhere deep in the mountains of south-west Virginia.

This is where my story really begins.

…..

…..

**May 28, 2024 1:31 A.M.**

Three short clicks sounded in the night, too low pitched to be crickets. I sat up slowly, letting the fur pelt slide off my body, and reached for the silver-and-steel tipped spear beside me. I would have never thought of using such a pliable metal on a weapon, but it seemed to hurt those creatures more than simple steel. Perhaps something to do with its natural antiseptic properties. The moon shown brightly outside my cave, casting everything in a pale blue light. The clicks sounded again, just outside and to the left. I tightened my grip on the spear. I had seen this tactic before. The damn things make a noise for you, then, when you go to check it out, you find yourself surrounded with no escape.

It had been such a long time since they had tried this tactic that it immediately put me on-edge. The creatures were as cognitive as any human, maybe more so, and it was strange for them to try something when it has failed before. Aka: Something was up.

I didn't check around me, there was no need. The multiple traps I had set at the entrance had yet to be sprung. I smiled, even if I _was_ stupid enough to just walk outside, I would have to set off my traps to do so. They weren't the kind you could simply disarm. Todd had once made a disarm-able trap with a few grenades, he said "why waste 'em when you can re-use 'em instead." Later the same night I awoke to his and his wife's screams. I barely remember running out of the camp. The next morning we – only five of us – came back. Upon close inspection of the armored truck Todd had slept in I noticed the wires rigging the grenades had been cut and pinned to keep them from detonating. It surprised me that the creatures had the complexity of thought to disarm his trap, it was the first time I really took notice of their abilities of cognition.

I kept my eyes trained on the entrance. A few moments passed in silence, then I heard the clicks again. I cocked my head. They use echo location to see, I knew that, but why would they opt for such a low frequency? Usually they hissed or chirped, I had never heard this before. I had just put my leg under me to stand when I saw a chest sized rock flying through the entrance at a sharp angle. The effect was instantaneous.

With a concussive _whommb_ everything went white.

Then black.

...

...

The first thing I became aware of was the high pitched ringing in my ears. My mind was muddy, I couldn't remember... _what? _There was something missing, a blank space. The second thing I noticed was the unique itchiness of grass against my face. I opened my eyes, but I couldn't see – it must still be dark. A warmth pressed against my back, and the distinct crackling of fire sounded behind me. But it wasn't the fire that caught my attention.

It was the voices.

"-him here!" I couldn't discern it, male or female. I heard a shuffling in-front of me.

"We cant take him with us," That, I recognized: an Irish male. "We just mugged the bastard." Suddenly everything came back to me.I twisted my hands, only to stop as I felt rope tight around my wrists.

"Look," A third voice, strong and sharp, definitely female. "we cant risk taking him with us. If I had ever planned on that we wouldn't have _mugged_ him" It was the kind of enunciation you used when you made fun of someone. And a deep guttural laugh followed in amusement. "We'll leave him here. _Tied up. _If he escapes he'll be smart not to try to follow us, if he doesn't break the bindings then he's dead." It sounded like she was talking directly at me. Did she know I was awake?

"Either way he's dead!" The first voice shouted. "Can't we at least leave him a weapon?"

"No." The strong female said. "Now get some rest, we cant have you lagging behind again." I heard another shuffling move away until it faded. "You never know what's lurking out there." She added quietly.

"You might as well get some sleep too lass, Houston is still a _long _way away."

"What about-"

"Go. I'll keep watch on our friend here." A few moments passed in silence, then. "I know your awake, ya hungry?" I felt a tug at the back of my head and cloth sliding against my face. The darkness fell away to reveal a sprawling field stretching down a soft slope then up to a ridge-line, silhouetted against the blue-black satin sky. I twisted and sat up with little effort, then turned to look at the man squatted down next to me. His close-cropped hair was blood-red in the light of the fire, as well as the unkept beard and mustache choking his lips. He wasn't fat, just large, and even in the dim light I could tell it was all muscle. He wore a beat-up white-yellow T-shirt and faded blue-jeans. He shoved a bowl of fowl smelling liquid into my face, I looked from it back to him and raised an eyebrow. After a second he understood, "Oh, forgot." He set the bowl on the ground, took hold of my arm roughly and retch behind me with his other hand. I felt the ropes around my wrists loosen and fall away. He stepped back quickly and laid his hand on a his waist band, as if threatening to pull something out – a gun probably.

I just reached for the bowl, held my breath and tried to swallow it as fast as I could. I suppose it was at one time beef-stew. It didn't matter. It was food.

The Irishmen took a seat on a log opposite the fire, and watched me with a curiosity I hadn't seen in a while. A few minutes passed and I finally grasped why he was looking at me like that. "How long has it been," I said, "since your group came across anyone?"

"Six months," He kicked at the grass, "I was beginning to think we were the last ones alive." He raised his head and grinned. "I'm glad I was wrong."

I grinned a little to. "I suppose that's the reason for this." I nodded toward the bowl.

He gave a short nod, then. "How have you survived this long? I mean, without Rain we probably wouldn't be alive. Bitchy as hell, but surviving on instinct is her thing."

"I wasn't always alone." I looked up at the sky. "There used to be about fifteen of us, all from upstate New York. When I decided to leave a few followed. A couple of years was all it took for them to get us, one by one usually. I've been on my own for a little under three months." He whistled lowly, "No big feat compared to some I've seen."

He gave a disbelieving look, "Really? Like what?"

I smirked at him. "A hunter, a few miles up the ridgeline from where I was, has survived out here since the start of it all. He lost his wife to those things, been on the war-path ever since."

It felt good to talk to someone, to exchange stories and feats that we have accomplished.

We talked for nearly an hour before he made to tie me back up. The only thing that kept me from fighting him was the pin knife he shoved in my hands, and the looseness with which he tied the rope. No blindfold this time.

I didn't sleep a wink.


End file.
